Make a simple drum for preschool fun!

My previous ‘Musical Mondays’ post invited you to add some songs and instruments to your circle time routine. Here is a simple craft activity to extend the fun for your daycare children. Drums are an ideal instrument to make when you have a wide variety of ages because they appeal to younger children and older ones. The younger children will delight in simply banging the drum while the older ones can experiment with rhythm. I like to read a story about drums to expand the children’s knowledge base. Each child will take what interests them from the story. Some children will act out parts of the book during free play time.

These drums were made with materials we found around the house. Please substitute materials depending on what you have on hand. School age children might enjoy experimenting with different materials to see if they can make different sounds.

Materials:

Empty cartons or jars

plastic bags or fabric

elastics or string

paper and tape

stickers, paint, or markers for decorating

makeshift drumsticks (unsharpened pencils, wooden spoons)

Steps:

1. Cover the sides of your container with bright paper or have the children paint them. Give the children materials to decorate their drums. Even the youngest child can enthusiastically participate in this step.

2. Use a plastic bag or fabric and cut it in a circular shape to cover the top of the drum. Make sure you cut a large enough circle that the sides fold down over the lip of the drum.

3. Secure the circle of plastic/fabric with an elastic. The tighter you pull the fabric the better sound you will achieve.

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This site is designed to help new and experienced child care providers. It helps answer the question “How do I start a daycare?” It also guides new caregivers through the first year of growing pains, and supports the experienced caregiver with fresh ideas and inspiration.